This last winter in Iowa had been absolute hell. Just awful. But spring is just around the corner! Just the other day it was almost 70 degrees! It was marvelous. And there's no better way to celebrate this warm weather than to stock up on delicious smelling oils to smear all over your pudgy pale winter body! At least, that's my take on it.
As a fairly new Haus of Gloi customer, I had no idea what to expect with their spring releases. So, of course, I did what I could to pick up a little bit of everything. I also grabbed a few bits from their general catalog because I have no self control.
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| Da Loot |
I'll start with my general catalog goodies. I picked up a full size of Satyr and Imp and two samples: Litchi Milk Tea and Insalata Nocturna.
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| Litchi Milk Tea , Satyr, Imp, Insalata Nocturna |
I've already reviewed this particular scent here. My views were mixed about it but were leaning pretty favorably last we left off. But damn, this scent keeps growing on me. It's so warm and delicious. I cracked open the full sized bottle to give it a whiff and it hits you 10x harder than the sample vial. It's perfect.
Imp: Passion fruit, sun cured apricots, pink grapefruit juice and innocent mimosa blossoms.
I bought this in a full size without sampling first because I have poor impulse control. (Get it - IMPulse control, hurr durr.) I'd read some great things about Imp and I have a weakness for tart citrusy fruit scents. This scent definitely delivers on tart citrus! Out of the vial I instantly get grapefruit and passion fruit. Tart and sweet and delicious! Applied, the grapefruit seemed to amp a bit. The citrus eventually quiets down and the mimosa comes out and softens it. It's a nice, sweet, slightly floral scent that lasted me most of the day. I really do enjoy it but I wish the tartness lasted a bit longer.
I bought this in a full size without sampling first because I have poor impulse control. (Get it - IMPulse control, hurr durr.) I'd read some great things about Imp and I have a weakness for tart citrusy fruit scents. This scent definitely delivers on tart citrus! Out of the vial I instantly get grapefruit and passion fruit. Tart and sweet and delicious! Applied, the grapefruit seemed to amp a bit. The citrus eventually quiets down and the mimosa comes out and softens it. It's a nice, sweet, slightly floral scent that lasted me most of the day. I really do enjoy it but I wish the tartness lasted a bit longer.
Litchi Milk Tea: Tart lychee fruit and black tea met with a splash of coconut milk.
Everybody loves Litchi Milk Tea. I don't believe I've seen a negative review of it yet! So of course I had to get a sample! The first sniff I picked up what is probably lychees. (I have no idea what lychees smell/taste like.) It's definitely citrus but I can pick out the sweet creamy coconut milk. I love coconut milk so this makes me very happy~ Application brings out the black tea but it's no where near as bad as Elevenses. At this point there was something somewhat strange about this perfume - I think it smells a bit like a face product I've once used but I can't put my finger on it. That's not a bad thing but it is a little off putting. Over the course of the day, however, it dries down to be very soft and feminine. It's just lovely. I'll probably pick this one up in a full size at some point.
Insalata Nocturna: Italian lemon, rubbed tomato leaf, olive leaf, black fig syrup and basil.
This is a weird one. This is a weird one and I'm alllll about it. Out of the vial the tomato leaf is most obvious - it reminds me of my grandma's house in the summertime. She always has fresh tomatoes everywhere. There's a bit of the lemon in there as well but it's very understated. On my skin the tomato leaf sticks around for a while but eventually gives way to something very sweet which was unexpected as I'd heard this scent described as 'fresh and green'. (Though I don't know enough about perfumes to say those descriptions are totally inaccurate.) The lemon comes forward over time and the black fig syrup grounds it and makes the scent very sweet. I can see how some people may think it cloying but I found myself to really be enjoying it.
Next we've got the main reason I placed my order - Spring samples! I'd already received a sample of Splendiferous and ended up missing out on Honeybelle (I've got one on the way though!) and Maedwe (Which is sadly no longer available this season.). Selkie was sold out at the time I placed my order but I was lucky enough to recieve it as my free sample! But enough of my rambling! Let's take a closer look at tha booty~
This is a weird one. This is a weird one and I'm alllll about it. Out of the vial the tomato leaf is most obvious - it reminds me of my grandma's house in the summertime. She always has fresh tomatoes everywhere. There's a bit of the lemon in there as well but it's very understated. On my skin the tomato leaf sticks around for a while but eventually gives way to something very sweet which was unexpected as I'd heard this scent described as 'fresh and green'. (Though I don't know enough about perfumes to say those descriptions are totally inaccurate.) The lemon comes forward over time and the black fig syrup grounds it and makes the scent very sweet. I can see how some people may think it cloying but I found myself to really be enjoying it.
Next we've got the main reason I placed my order - Spring samples! I'd already received a sample of Splendiferous and ended up missing out on Honeybelle (I've got one on the way though!) and Maedwe (Which is sadly no longer available this season.). Selkie was sold out at the time I placed my order but I was lucky enough to recieve it as my free sample! But enough of my rambling! Let's take a closer look at tha booty~
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| Lassi, Milkmaid, Ploughman, Ruth, Selkie, Tonic #4 |
Lassi: Cool, fresh mango cream, Tunisian orange blossom absolute, black ginger to ground, splash of green tea and a soft squeeze of lime juice.
I read a review somewhere that describes Lassi as 'green gushers'. I was surprised to find this was 100% true. This is a really delicious candy scent. Some people might think it a bit juvenile but I absolutely love it. The lime and mango cream are what hit you first. On the skin the green tea softens the scent and the ginger comes out and adds some warmth taking it from 'candy' to something that smells a bit more mature. Honestly, my favorite bit is the scent straight from the vial but it's still very nice. Definitely my favorite of the spring perfumes.
Milkmaid: Flushed, but demure, Fresh milk, clean linens, pale musk and pink sweet pea blossom.
The cold sniff brings you the milk and linens. It's the oddest thing! A milk scented perfume is something I would never even imagine but there's something about Milkmaid that's very appealing. Yet, also very familiar? After practically killing myself trying to get at what it could possibly be reminding me of it hit me - Milkmaid smells almost exactly like almond extract! Love it! Application didn't seem to change it much but over time it did get a bit powdery for my tastes. It's a lovely, dainty feminine perfume but the powdery thing really has me waffling over whether or not I'd like it in a full size. I will for sure be doing more testing with this one!
Ploughman: Well worn leather, dirt n' dandelions, carrot, a pinch of tobacco and a light sheen of feral skin musk.
In the vial this smells like dirt. And I mean dirt - it captures that fresh soil smell so accurately! I applied it and the next scent that cropped up was dandelions. Nice and fresh. The dirt continued to stick around as the main note for quiet a while. After a spell the leather and musk show their faces. This is definitely a masculine scent but it is quite lovely. There's a lot of noticeable depth to it. The tobacco peaks out every now and again and give Ploughman a nice spicy warmth. I couldn't see myself wearing this one regularly. Though I'm sure I will on occasion find myself layering it with Insalata Nocturna. It's like rubbing up against a sexy gardener. (Try that combo and say you don't love it - I dare you.)
Ruth: Fresh strawberry, green patchouli, rose geranium and crushed violet leaf.
The first thing listed is fresh strawberries which had me all sorts of excited. Who doesn't love strawberries? I'm not a huge fan of super floral scents and patchouli is not something you'd find on my list of favorites. But I figured the rest of the notes were there to add depth and keep Ruth from smelling like a pink starburst. (I'm not even ashamed - pink starburst perfume sounds marvelous.) Buuuut patchouli. I opened the sample vial and that's all I got. It was not pleasant. I figured, however, what it's like in the vial is almost never how it ends up on my skin. So I gave it a go. This was a mistake. The strawberry peaks out but it was a sad, sickly floral strawberry. And the patchouli just would not go away. I had to wash this one off. Ruth was a no go for me, folks.
Selkie: The break of waves, gurgling sea foam, kelp, rain tinged air, sand smooth driftwood and wild sage.
When Haus of Gloi announced Selkie as one of their spring scents people just seemed to go crazy. Everyone was chomping at the bit for it and I had never tried any sort of ocean/aquatic perfume before so I had to get myself a sample. Sadly it was sold out by the time I got around to putting in my order. But! The indie gods looked down upon me with pity and I received it as my free sample. I guess I wasn't sure what to expect but when I cracked the vial the only thing I could think of were those "seascape" candles. It's not a terrible scent but it's not really something I want to smell like. It warms up on my skin with what I assume is the driftwood which seems to add a tiny bit of spice. After a while though, all I could smell was potpourri. The type of potpourri you find in an old ladies beach house. The type of old lady who decorates in beige and pastel blues and hangs up watercolor paintings of seashells. You know the type. It turned a bit powdery towards the end of the day and never shook that candle/potpourri feeling. While it's not awful, Selkie just isn't for me.
Tonic #4: Yuzu, basil, cilantro, lemongrass and raw sugar cane accord.
The description for Tonic #4 is rather intriguing. It's a very odd combination of notes but I figured they must work together somehow with the help of some frangrance-y black magic. I was wrong. Out of the vial all I could smell was cilantro. I caught a tiny whiff of the lemongrass but it was almost entirely cilantro. On my skin the lemongrass and what I believe to be the yuzu come out a bit but the cilantro was just so bitter and overwhelming. I couldn't take it. I tried to wash it off. I tried. This stuff is potent and I spent the rest of the night smelling like it. So, you kiddos be careful with this one!
Overall Haus of Gloi's Spring collecton was definitely a mixed bag. Lassi and Splediferous were obvious favorites as I have a full bottle of each on the way! Milkmaid and Ploughman were each wonderful in their own weird ways and though they don't really warrant full sized purchases (at least not with my budget) they'll still get airtime here and there. Selkie I may try a few more times but in all honesty I'll probably end up gifting it to my mom. As for Tonic #4 and Ruth, they will most likely spend the rest of their days hidden away in my stash gathering dust. Forever.
Selkie: The break of waves, gurgling sea foam, kelp, rain tinged air, sand smooth driftwood and wild sage.
When Haus of Gloi announced Selkie as one of their spring scents people just seemed to go crazy. Everyone was chomping at the bit for it and I had never tried any sort of ocean/aquatic perfume before so I had to get myself a sample. Sadly it was sold out by the time I got around to putting in my order. But! The indie gods looked down upon me with pity and I received it as my free sample. I guess I wasn't sure what to expect but when I cracked the vial the only thing I could think of were those "seascape" candles. It's not a terrible scent but it's not really something I want to smell like. It warms up on my skin with what I assume is the driftwood which seems to add a tiny bit of spice. After a while though, all I could smell was potpourri. The type of potpourri you find in an old ladies beach house. The type of old lady who decorates in beige and pastel blues and hangs up watercolor paintings of seashells. You know the type. It turned a bit powdery towards the end of the day and never shook that candle/potpourri feeling. While it's not awful, Selkie just isn't for me.
Tonic #4: Yuzu, basil, cilantro, lemongrass and raw sugar cane accord.
The description for Tonic #4 is rather intriguing. It's a very odd combination of notes but I figured they must work together somehow with the help of some frangrance-y black magic. I was wrong. Out of the vial all I could smell was cilantro. I caught a tiny whiff of the lemongrass but it was almost entirely cilantro. On my skin the lemongrass and what I believe to be the yuzu come out a bit but the cilantro was just so bitter and overwhelming. I couldn't take it. I tried to wash it off. I tried. This stuff is potent and I spent the rest of the night smelling like it. So, you kiddos be careful with this one!
Overall Haus of Gloi's Spring collecton was definitely a mixed bag. Lassi and Splediferous were obvious favorites as I have a full bottle of each on the way! Milkmaid and Ploughman were each wonderful in their own weird ways and though they don't really warrant full sized purchases (at least not with my budget) they'll still get airtime here and there. Selkie I may try a few more times but in all honesty I'll probably end up gifting it to my mom. As for Tonic #4 and Ruth, they will most likely spend the rest of their days hidden away in my stash gathering dust. Forever.
xxx
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